Adenine and guanine are members of a class of molecules known as purines; they have two rings in their structure. Thymine and cytosine, on the other hand, are pyrimidines, and have only one ring in their structure. Predict which have larger dispersion forces in aqueous solution, the purines or the pyrimidines.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Purines (adenine and guanine) will have larger dispersion forces in aqueous solution compared to pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), due to their larger size and more complex structures, which result in more atoms and electrons in the molecules.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the concept of dispersion forces

Dispersion forces, also known as van der Waals forces or London dispersion forces, are weak intermolecular forces that occur between molecules due to the temporary fluctuations in electron distribution which create temporary dipoles. The more electrons a molecule has, the more significant these forces are. These forces are particularly important for larger molecules with many atoms and electrons.
02

Compare purines and pyrimidines

Purines (adenine and guanine) are larger molecules with two ring structures, while pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine) are smaller molecules with only one ring structure. Due to their larger size and more complex structures, purines have more atoms and electrons than pyrimidines. As a result, purines will have stronger dispersion forces than pyrimidines.
03

Determine which class of molecules will have larger dispersion forces in aqueous solution

Since purines (adenine and guanine) have more atoms and electrons due to their larger size and more complex structures, they will experience stronger dispersion forces than pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine).
04

Conclusion

The purines (adenine and guanine) will have larger dispersion forces in aqueous solution compared to pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), due to their larger size and more complex structures, which result in more atoms and electrons in the molecules.

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